Marymount University recently presented the Alumni Lifetime Excellence Award to Susan DeLuccia Beausang, who received an associate degree in Fashion Merchandising from Marymount in 1967. Beausang developed the BeauBeau scarf, a fashionable and comfortable alternative to wearing a wig, for women and girls coping with hair loss from cancer treatment, alopecia, or other medical conditions. She is determined to reclaim dignity and self-esteem for women with medical hair loss.
After losing her hair to alopecia and coming from a family of breast cancer survivors, Beausang wanted a stylish, dignified option beyond wigs. Finding that one didn't exist, she set about designing a fashionable alternative, and the BeauBeau scarf was born. The BeauBeau fitted scarf is an elegant solution that stays in place and comes in an array of fabrics, colors, and patterns -- enabling women with hair loss to feel pretty again. BeauBeaus are now on sale in 70 boutiques in the US and Canada, and online at www.4women.com.
Beausang, a resident of Sarasota, FL, previously lived in Philadelphia, PA, where she was a specialist with the Philadelphia Stock Exchange for many years. Also a busy mother, she found that her sudden hair loss caused emotional distress and challenged her sense of identity. "For a woman, losing your hair is such an emotional disease," she explains. Beausang is working to raise awareness of the psychological impact of hair loss, so that there is more sensitivity in our society. She points out, "A good day is when people notice my scarf and not that I look different."
Inventing the BeauBeau has brought a second career that is satisfying on many levels. "What I do now gives new meaning in my life," she explains. In a recent blog on her Web site, she wrote, "I receive many emails from women around the world, thanking me for creating a product that has made such a difference to them. The irony is that I want to thank them…. My connection with these special women and girls is a rare life gift; in helping them, I have discovered a true meaning to my own life."
Beausang attends major fashion shows each year and closely monitors fashion trends in order to design scarves that coordinate with the latest runway styles. She has designs for everyday wear, eveningwear, exercise, and even cold weather. Since young girls can also suffer medical hair loss, she has a line for them, too. Beausang has definitely put her Fashion Merchandising degree from Marymount to good use!
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